"Lord Hokage, are you sure you want me to go along?"
The Third Hokage's request surprised Hao Shuai, and he couldn't help asking again.
"Hao Shuai~~" The Third Hokage understood what was on his mind, so he explained, "You've been taking on high-intensity missions lately, so you must be tired. As it happens, we have an escort mission this time. You can take it easy for a while."
"But I'm not tired!" Hao Shuai protested. "Besides, it's only a C-rank mission. Kakashi can handle it on his own. Why add me to the team?"
Didn't this old man know that a month of my time was worth a small fortune?!
How could I spend a whole month cooped up with a bunch of brats?!
"No~ You're tired because I say you're tired!" The Third Hokage suddenly put on a stern face. His imposing presence brought the room to a momentary silence.
After a while, the Third Hokage smiled again and said, "I hear you just moved into a bigger house, Hao Shuai!"
Well, damn~~
Judging by the old geezer Third Hokage's expression, Hao Shuai knew he'd found out about the extra money he was making on the side.
That made sense~~
Konoha was the foremost of the Five Great Ninja Villages, after all. If its intelligence network weren't this good, it would've been wiped out long ago.
So, since Hao Shuai still wanted to get by in Konoha, he put on a tired expression and said, "I suppose I am a little tired. I'll do as you say, Lord Hokage, and go along with them."
Truthfully, Hao Shuai didn't mind going to the Land of Waves with Team 7.
It was the perfect chance to answer a question that had been nagging him: was Haku, the Haku of the Kaguya